


The Misty Garden

by xAmalie



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Yokai, Dark, Drowning, Graphic Description, Heavy Angst, Human Azul Ashengrotto, Implied/Referenced Bullying, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:53:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24371614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xAmalie/pseuds/xAmalie
Summary: As he held out his arm to watch the rain slide on his skin, Azul walked the path that led to the source of the sound that had woken him, occasionally gazing up at the transparency of the moon amongst the clouds. He made his way over a fallen log, brushing his fingertips over the soft, sturdy, velvety petals of the hydrangeas.He had no memory of how he got there. Like that pond, his mind was wrapped in a thick fog that didn't allow him to focus on anything and that occluded every possible answer to his questions. It was as if there was a door in his mind which he absolutely couldn't open if he wanted to avoid sinking into memories that should have been forgotten.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 43





	The Misty Garden

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what happened, I pulled an all-nighter to write this so take it as it is: the angstiest, most oneiric oneshot I ever wrote.

Rarely Azul woke up at that time of night, and rarely he was awakened by a sound so familiar and yet so unusual. The well-known sound of something running along a natural-stone flooring, the sullen roar of a distant waterfall.

The gentle rain felt good against his skin, which was why he stood there, soothed by it in the middle of a dirt road, surrounded by nature. The moonlight occasionally breaching through the grey clouds made the forest look like a haunted place, but it also brought a comforting sense of peace.

He didn't even remember how he got there, but somehow he knew that that was a question he shouldn't try to answer. It was as if there was a door in his mind which he absolutely couldn't open if he wanted to avoid sinking into memories that should have been forgotten.

Everything smelled of rain, night and moss. The drooping branches of the cedar trees swayed in the wind and flung down bright drops of water that made the many colourful hydrangeas glisten beautifully.

As he held out his arm to watch the rain slide on his skin, Azul walked the path that led to the source of the sound that had woken him, occasionally gazing up at the transparency of the moon amongst the clouds. He made his way over a fallen log, brushing his fingertips over the soft, sturdy, velvety petals of the hydrangeas.

He truly felt part of something for once in his life, and he didn't even know why that thought had crossed his mind. It was a feeling he wasn't used to, a sense of belonging he had never experienced in his whole life. Nature was all that surrounded him, yet he didn't feel alone, unlike when he was-

A sudden migraine forced Azul to bring both his hands to his head, in a desperate attempt to soothe the pain. He knelt on the ground, between the many puddles, taking deep breaths. He even closed his eyes, waiting for that pounding at his temples to have pity on him.

When he finally opened his eyes again, he waited a few more seconds before wiping away the tears that had clouded his vision. He then slowly looked up, and gasped at the breath-taking scene that opened right in front of him.

Over the trail leading to the misty pond, a big oak tree leaned over the water with outstretched arms, caressing the surface disturbed by the rain. Surrounded by bushes of purple and blue hydrangeas, a little teahouse stood in the shade of the oak, near the waterfall that was spilling out of a crevice in the rocks. A few feet apart from one another, the light of the lanterns around the pond reflected on the surface in a way that would have been enchanting to any living being.

Azul approached it without thinking twice. Everything about that landscape left him speechless, he didn't know such a place existed near his neighbourhood... although, at that point, he couldn't even tell if he was actually anywhere near his house.

He seriously had no memory of how he got there. Like that pond, his mind was wrapped in a thick fog that didn't allow him to focus on anything and that occluded every possible answer to his questions.

Azul knelt near the edge of the pond and touched the surface with his fingertips, realizing how limpid the water was. The koi carps didn't seem frightened, but slowly swam around Azul's hand, as if they wanted to study the situation rather than fleeing from it. He was so mesmerized by the elegant fish that he didn't realize there was someone –  _something_ , he corrected himself almost unconsciously – who was staring at him from the bottom of the pond.

With a high-pitched cry, Azul fell backwards on the wet grass, losing his balance as his hands slipped in the mud. At the same time, the surface of the pond rippled and a trail of soft, white foam started moving in his direction. He was about to stand up and run away when long, bony fingers with sharp claws grabbed one of the stones on the edge of the pond, right in front of him. Chills ran down his back as two beings, half-men and half-fish, emerged from the water. Mismatched brown and yellow eyes peered at him, paralysing him with fear, but something entirely different clicked in him when the two crossed their arms on the rocks and frowned.

"Oh?" One of them rested its chin on the palm of its hand and slightly tilted its head, studying Azul. It sniffed the air before narrowing its eyes. "A human... It's been so long since one of your kind paid us a visit."  
The other one opened its eyes wide and smiled in a way that made Azul shiver. "Did you come to play with us~?"  
"Floyd, stop it. Can't you see he's terrified?" A smirk curled its lips as the half-man and half-fish entity turned towards Azul. "Don't worry, we don't bite."

Azul gulped and inched back when he thought that that thing's actions belied its own words, as its hands instinctively reached out towards him while it licked its lips.  
He forced himself to take a deep breath, realizing that he had been holding it the entire time.

"You..." Azul looked at both of them, not sure how to feel about them. With their sculpted bodies, their mellifluous smiles and those claws, probably capable of slashing into you in the blink of an eye, they were as beautiful as they were terrifying. "What are you?"  
_"Ningyo."_ The one named Floyd said with a dark, heavy grin, resting its chin on its crossed arms.  
"Never heard of us?" The other one wondered, matching the other's grin.

Ningyo. Azul remembered reading something about it somewhere: half-man and half-fish beings of folklore whose flesh was said to give you eternal life if eaten. For this reason, legends also included curses on whoever tried to harm them.

A  _yokai_ ... a spirit, a demon... did something like that really exist?

They understood his doubts as if he had spoken them out loud, their smiles exposing sharp, white teeth that almost seemed to glimmer in the night.

"Yes, we exist, although our _existence_ is different than yours. By the way, I'm Jade." The creature presented itself. "And this is Floyd. We have always lived in these waters, and it’s rare for a human to pay us a visit. Your presence here..."  
"...won't last long." Floyd sighed, looking at its sharp claws with disinterest.  
"...is something unusual." Jade corrected the other, flashing it a meaningful look.

Azul couldn't take his eyes off of those creatures, he was mesmerized by them, as if the fear he had felt before had been nothing but a bad dream. Deep down he knew they were dangerous, but that voice in his head that had previously stopped him from questioning why he was there, was now telling him that there was nothing to be afraid of. It whispered to him that he was the one invading their territory, that he had no right to tell them to leave him alone.

"I..." Azul stood up and ran a hand nervously through his hair before crossing his arms over his chest. "I can hardly recall anything. I don't know how I got here."  
Jade's smile seemed to soften when it reached out towards Azul, inviting him to get closer. "Don't worry. _That_ , on the other hand, is not unusual."  
"What do you mean?"

Azul almost reached out to it, but he restrained himself from doing so. That gesture however didn't go unnoticed by the two yokai, who sharpened their gazes on him, as if they had not liked seeing him retreat like that.

Jade sighed, then smiled. Azul's eyes, still fixed on its lips, got cloudy along with his mind when the creature's melodic and gentle voice echoed above the sound of the now stronger rain.

"This is a place where those who have a strong will and want to forget everything can start anew. This is the end of your world, but also the starting line. A place where you're dead, and yet you're alive."  
"You have the advantages of both at once~" Floyd's laughter didn't quite reach Azul's ears, but made him shiver nonetheless.  
Jade took Azul's hand in its one when Azul found himself unable to resist approaching the two yokai. "You can go back and face your demons, or you can move on and stay here with us, in this place."

Azul had never felt anything like that before. He was in his body, but he couldn't move a finger. He could see with his own eyes, but everything around him seemed wrapped in a thin fog. He had a mind to think with, but nothing to actually focus on. It was as if something had taken over his body, and yet, he could perfectly feel the touch of the two hands strongly holding his own, the same hands that had frightened him as soon as he had seen them emerge from the pond... in which, suddenly, he was being dragged.

Azul's eyes widened the moment the icy water hit his skin like thousands of tiny needles. Biting his lower lip hard to avoid opening his mouth, he found himself struggling to get rid of the two creatures' grip on both his arms. They were watching him with feral and hungry grins that made his skin crawl.  
His chest almost hurt because of how fast his heart was beating. He tried his best to keep his lips sealed, but it didn't take long for his body to reach its limit. He gasped, and the water filled his lungs, making his insides burn. He kicked with all his might, but the longer he was kept under, the slower his movements became. His body could no longer fight against what was happening.

Azul's vision started fading to black as he looked up at the moon, this time from under the surface of the pond. For a moment he thought the two yokai were saying something to him, but he was sure his mind was playing tricks. He did, however, hear familiar voices broken by tears and sobs, those of his mother and father, while every bit of strength abandoned his body.

_Oh._ Azul laughed to himself.  _That's it... that's why I couldn't remember how I got here, because I didn't want to remember how useless I was. How could I forget that I'm a burden to everyone? Everyone hates me... my mother does nothing but cry whenever I come home covered in bruises. My father says I have to stand up for myself... but why? I have no one to fight for, no one..._

"It will be over soon, Azul." Jade's voice echoed in the deafening silence.  
"You'll be with us forever, Azul~" Floyd's laughter filled his ears.

Without asking himself how those two even knew his name, tears joined the quietly sad smile on Azul's lips when he opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> It's a happy ending... if you really squint.  
> Seriously, don't kill me-  
>   
> As always, /brazenmoon is a life-saver when it comes to beta.


End file.
